Lubricator.



Tia? F'YLED MAY 25, 1908.

Patented Dec. 15, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR lmrfiLha.

- G. R. KENNEDY.

LUBBIGATOB. APPLICATION FILED in 25, mos.

Patented Dec. 15,1908. s SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I NVE NTOR g inst annul- LMQL'Z QLQJQMY,

WITNESSES.

G. R. KENNEDY.

LUBRIOATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 25, 190B.

Patented Dec. 15, 1908.

(SSHEETS-SHBEI 8.

Edi

BBL LZAHy s NEE WITNESSES M J56 essr AvA'IL COPY GEORGE RUSSELL KENNEDY, .o PITTSBURGf-PENNSYLVANIA A icniurneoaneo, or PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SSIGNOR or ONE-HALE ro LUBsIcA'roR.

Specification of'LettersPatent. I

Patented Dec. 15, 1908.

Application filed May 25, 1908. Serial No. 434,983.

To all who-m itma 1 concern." I

Be it known that I, GEORGE RUSSELL. KENNEDY, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Penn-sylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered'certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricators, of which im-i provement the following is a specification, The. i n'v,ention described herein relates to certainimprovements in feed cups for lubricants requiring pressure to cause its flow or -movement to the surface to be lubricated. The-cups" heretofore employed for this purpose employ either a s rin g 'or a weight for causing'tthe'howoi "he lubricant. Both classes are however opento serious objec- .tions. Where springs are used, the feed pressure on the'lubricant will vary with the expansion from a comparatively high pres-' sure roducing a ra id flow of lubricantfto a low eed pressure w hen the flow of lubricant will be insufiicient. Cups em loying a weight to feed the lubricant wiil cause a uniform flow provided the part of the machine to which the cup is attached is stationary. Any movement of the .cup having a weight feed, es ecially when the movement is in avertical plane, will produce irregularity of flow.

The invention described herein has for its object a construction of feed mechanism whereby. a practically. uniform pressure can be maintained at all times on the-lubricant regardless of the quantity of lubricant in thecup and regardless of the use of the cup, 71. e. whether it, is attached to'a stationary or movable part.

' 5' H3 invention is hereinafter more i'ullyde-- fwd and claimed.

in the accompanying drawings forming ts of this specification, Figure v1 is a sec- -Esonal elevation of a'lubricator. embodring my improvements; Fig. 21s a view part y in section and partly in elevation-of the cont; ollingnut at right angles to the plane of section in Fig. 1; Fig. 2 isa top plan view of a part of the nut Figs. 3 and 4 aresectional. plans on planes -indicated by the lines i1I-I1I and IV-IV respectivelyin Fig. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail viewon anew larged scale showing portions of the nut'and Fig. 5 is asecti'on'al elevationof the portion of a lubricat-or, illustrating a cation of the structure shown in l i; is a sectional plan on a plane indicated bythe line VI.VI Fig.'5; Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 1 and shows certain modificas tions; Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation illustrating certain modifications of the controlling-nut; Fig. 9'is a top plan view ofthe nut shown in Fig. 8; Figs. 10 and 11 show elevations of the shaft and lockingrod in different operative positions; Figs. 12 and 14 are viewssimilar to Fig. 1, and illustrate fur ther modifications of my improvement; Fig.

13 is a top lanof the nut reversing means shown iii-Fig. 12, the top plate bein removed,- and Fig. 15 is aplan view 0 the shaft reversing device shown in Fig. 14.

In the practice of my invention the on 1. is made cylindrical as Is customary, and has a removable bottom 2 threaded onto the body as shown in Fig. 1', or with a removable cap sha ed cover-.3- screwing into the upperend of 13 16 body asshown'in Figs. 7 and 14. This ca is made with aninternal diameter approximately equal tothat of the cup, and of sufiicient depth to reserve and protect the plunger when withdrawn from the cup. When the lubricant is sufficiently stifl", the dip can be removed irom'the bottom 2, or

For. a more lastic lubricant the cup may be provided with a iillin nozzle 4, internally threaded for the reception of the closing plug 5 as shown in Fig. 7. When filling through the nozzle 4, a vent' 6 for the escape of air is desirable. The bottom of the cup is providedwith a threaded discharge nozzle 7 as is customary. The opening through this nozzle is made large enough for the maximum discharge desired, and suitable'means are provided for IGStIlCillIlg SllC-h discharge open- ,mg, In Fig. 1 is shown a butterfly construc- I tion consisting of threaded plugs S and 9 iovided with their flat extensions 10. Tiese plugs are' screwed into diametrically arranged holes through the walls of the nozzle 7, the portions 10 projecting across the-opening in the'nozzle and nearly meeting, as Wlll be seen by reference to 'Figs. 1, 4 and 12. These portions 10 are made of such dimensions relative to thetlischarge opening that: when .farranged-horizontally they will reduce such 9 ening to the smallest desired extent. By s iiiting one or both of the plates 10 to apo-r sition at an an is to a transverseplane through the nozz e, the size of the discharge 1 a; .nmg can be increased as desired. In lieu a .is construction Iinay employ a threaded plug 11 as shown in Fig. 7, arran ed transby suitably controlled resilient means.

verse 6m n discharge ripening in t e nozzle,-

and provided with a-transverse port 12; By. shifting tlns-plug angularly, the size of the discharge port calig'be rednced.

In Fi 14 is sliown another 'modliication throu h the nozzle can be readily controlled;

Wit in the cup is arranged a plunger 15 adapted to be shifted lengthwise of .thecup In the construction shown in Figs. 1, 5 and 7 the plunger is so connected to a rod 16which- 1 extends through an externally threaded shaft 17, that the rod can rotate. The threads on this shaft are made of such a nick pitch that when force is a plied to the s aft in the direction'of its lengt either the shaft or the nut through whichit passes will tend to be rotated around the axis of the shaft.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1, 5 and 7 the rod 16- and the shaft 17 pass up throu l the top of the cup and through a nut 'mecli anism which is internally threaded to correthe nut-in a'direction to spond withthe pitch of the threads on the s aft. This nut mechanism consists of an annular shell 18 having internal threads 0 as described andan inclosing shell 19 provided -with an inwardly projecting flange 20 rest- .7 ing on the top of the 'part 18. The nut thus formed has a seat 21 on top of the cup, the rotation of the nut in the seat on the cup being facilitatedby the employment of anti-frietion steel balls 22. A spring 23 is interposed between the lower end of the shaft 17 and the plunger 15, the tension of such spring being regulated in accordance with the pressure which it is desired to exert upon the lubricant in forcing-it from the cup. A shifting spring 24'is interposed between the upper end of the cup and a shoulder or abutment 25.

on the shaftv 17. By the pressure of this s ring exerted longitudinal y the latter has a bias to move in the direction of its length, but as such movement is prevented by the engagement of the springs 23 and 24 therewith and with the plunger'and cup a rotary movement will be imparted to v permit of'the inward movement-ofthe shaft. -As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art; the pressure" exerted upon the grease as long as the nut is free to rotate =around the shaft, will be proportional to the tension of the spring 24 and would gradually- "decrease as' such spring expands.

Suitable means arehowe'ver provided for locking the .on the shaft,

searse nut against 'rotatioh around the shaft.

This locking means is so constructed as to be tripped when the plunger has moveda certain predetermined distance under the action of the spring 23 away from the shaft and will be set w lock the shaft and nut together when the shaft has moved a predetermined distance towards the plunger compre dng 'spring23. As will be readily understood the pressure-exerted upon thegrease when the nut and shaft'are locked together will be proportional to-the tension of the pressure spring 23. y I 4 One form or construction of lock is shown in Figs. 1', 5,? and 12 and consists of a feather 26 formed on the rod-16 and extending into a radial slot in the shaft 17 suiticientlyfar to intersect thethreads formed in this shaft. Notchesare formed in the edgeof this feather 26 spaced a distance apart threads. Pins 27, preferably formed on the ends of screws are set in the innerwall of the shell 18 and project through thethreads a into the threads on the shaft 17., ,When the rod 16 has been shifted'in the shaft 17 by the sprin 23 so as to bring the notchesinthe featherinto register with the threadsin the shaft, the latter will be shifted longitudinally by the feed spring 24 the nut being free to rotate around the shaft-. By this inward movement of the shaft by the spring 24 the pressure spring will be compressed, the plunger being in contact with the lubricant 'contained'in the cup. .The resistance pre-'- out of register with the notches in the of the nut, as the pins 27 will strike against the feather as shown in Fig. 10. When one thread and pin 27 are ilsed as shown in Fig.- 5 the nut will be locked to the shaft by the feather in the. manner described, 'on each revolution of the nut. By increasing the number of pins the arc of rotationof the nut can be correspondingly reduced as for instance by using four pins arranged around the shaft and engagingthe feather-at points apart, the nut will make only onefourth of a revolution. It is preferred however to construct the 'device with three or more independent threads on theshaft and a plurality of pins arranged around at different points. As for example in Figs. 1, 3 7 and 10 the shaft isshown as formed with three threads and ,six pins arranged around. at equally spaced points. In this construction with a sented by the lubricant will prevent a movefeather, and thereby prevent any: rotation pitch of about an inch and one eighth, a longitudinal movement ofthe shaft equal to about-three sixteenths of an inch is permitted. in other words, in this construction the plunger is moved forward by the spring 24. three si te enths of an'inch at a time and between such movements ofthe plunger, th'e greasewill be subjected to the pressure of the spring 23, the variation in such pressure being part 18. By rotating this only'suchas will be incident to the expansion ofthe s ring through three sixteenths of an uch variations would be exceedingly will be practically uniform at all times. turning the nut in a reversed direction to the movement im arted by the shaft, the latter can be'drawn plunger following the movement of the shaft by reason of the head 28 secured to the end of the rod and bearing on the shaft.

I In order to hold the plunger in position at the upper end of the cup when it is desired to fill the same or to stop the feed of lubricant at any time, a spring actuated locking pin 29 is mounted in the nut and'adapted to engage teeth 30 on the top of the cup. During the operation of the cup in feeding a lubricant this pin is held retracted or'out of engagement with the teeth .30 by a cam surface 31 on the flange 20 of the shell 19, as will be seen by reference to Figs. 2 and 2, the shell 19 with its flange being held on the art 18 of the cup by a pin 32 passing throug 1 a curved slot 33 in the top of the part 18 and screwing into the flange 20. As Wlll'bB seen by reference to Fig. 2 this slot'33 is so arranged and proportioned as to length relative to that of the slot 34 through which the pin 29 passes, that the latter is held from coming in contact with the ends of its slotor reaching a osition at which the part 19 can be removed roin the part 19 on the part 18, the cam ortio'n 31 wil pass along under the head of t 1e pin 29 raising it or permitting it to drop ormove down under theaction of its spring.

As shown in Figs. 10 and 11 the feather 26 has those portions of it just below the notches rounded so that the lateral ressure of the pins 27 will tend to shift the eather and the rod 16 len thwise of the shaft, thus facilitat ing the unlocking movementf Aswill be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the main or principal function of the spring 24 is to effect the feed movement of the shaft 17. In the construction shown in Figs. '1, 5 and 7 the feed movement is due to'the force ap'ilied to the shaft in the direction of its lngt 1-, the shaft itself being held from rotation and the nut caused to rotate by the inclination of the sides of thethreads on the shaft, engaging corresponding tion of the ins 27is to 006 crate with the feather 26 to lock the shaft and nut as against relative movement.

consistim ack into theupper part of the cup toperinit of'recharging the latter, the

. on the top of the cap.

I In the construction shown in Fig-.112 a clock sprlng 35*1sein loved-Itoimpart rotation of the nut mun theshaft whlchis held from rotation by keys bf engaging longitudinal tween a shoulder on the nut and the top Wall of the balls .36Yis interposed beof the cup. .A disk 37 provided with 'a handle portion 38 is mounted on the" top of the cup and is rovid'ed with-a toothed portion;

-39, with which a pawl 40 mounted. on the cup is held in engagement by spring 41. When .the pawl is in engagement with this toothed portion the nut can be rotated to draw up the shaft and at the 'sarne time wind up the spring. Durin the normal operation. of the cup and its mec ianis'm, the pawl is held from engagement with. the portion 39 by means'of 'a pin 42 having an upturned end to engage the shaft 17 is made preferably solid, or at least the rod 16 is om tted. Thelower end of the shaft is provided-with an inverted crown piece-46 having its pcriphe ry toothed and adapted to inter-mesh with a similarly toothed flange or ring 47 of the plunger 15. The spring 23 bears at its upper-end against In this construction a ring 48 loosely mounted on the shaft 17 and the feed spring 24 bears. against the top of this ring which is loosely mounted on the shaft as stated, andhas an anti-frictionhearing on top of the crown 46. he rin' 48 is held from any rotarymovement by t 1e engagement of the springs 23 and 24 therewith and with the cup and plunger. By the'longitudinal pressure applied to the shaft by the spring 24, the shaft will be rotated andcaused to move down until ,the teeth on, the crown 46 engage the teeth in the 1ing 47 thus locking the shaft as against rotation.- The expansion of the spring 23, the shaft having been held stationary by engagement with the thread of the neck 45, will cause a disen.

gagement of the teeth 46 and,48,.thus per- 11111111119 a rotation -of.the shaft and a consequent inner movement until the teeth on such parts will, again engage.

In the construction shown in Figs. 14 and 15, the shaft isprovided with a handle 65, whereby it may be rotated to. move the plunger into the cap shaped top of the cup 60 'shaft having a p' itc struction-consists of a spring actuated pawl 61 pivotedgtothe cap, I "toothed periphery and adapted to engage the of the ring 57 surrounding th'e'shaft' and provided with projections 58 ells wh eh .1s' revolubly mounted on the protect-f -engaging)longitudinal; grooves 59 in the shaft. r ng the normal operation of the lubricate pawl is heldout of engagem'en't wit ring by .a pin 62 intlie pawl centric slot63 in .the disk 64,

1 it is possible ztosoturnf the nut byihand that pins. 27- rnight-j;beforced against the feather 2G,su fficiently to injure the feather; and furtherfwhenjlthe locking pin 29 is with- .dmWn, the p.ar t.. "18 of the-nut is free to be snapped around, causing the pins 27 to strike with considerable force against the feathen. .A Construction is shown in Figs. 8

and; 9 .wherebyysuch undesirable movements willlbe prevented. l The sleeve surrounding the part 18 is provided at its upper end with an inwardly 'projectingtoothed flange 5] .resting on the upper plate 52. of the part- 18. A disk 53 is secured onthe plate 52, and is recessed for the reception of a spring pawl 54 adapted to engage the teeth in flange 51.

A head 55 is so connected to disk 53 as to be capable of rotation thereon by an annular key 56. .This'head has a curved slot 34 therein for thepassag'e of the pin 29,

a cam surface '31 is formed on the head.

adjacent to the slot, for shifting the pin as described. In this construction the sleeve 5QLcan be turned in a directionto force. pins 2-71 against the feather'without shifting the.

' part 18,.but when turned in the opposite di- :erative only indirectly through the- P18381116 rectio'n', it will'belocked to the part 18 by the pawl 54.

It is characteristicof my improvement hat the lubricant-is subjected only to the v pressure of, the spring 23 which for conven- '1'ence'is termed the ressure spring, the

spring 24-ter'med the eed spring being opspring on thelubricant. The spring crates intermittently to restore the tension of thepressure sp ring, and as soon as such tension has been restored the feed spring is fendered inoperative by locking the shaft 17 as againstiinward movement. As' the lubricant flows out the tension of the pressurespring drops, but as soon as the reduction of tension du'e' to the movement of the plunger and exp'ansion of the pressure spring, reaches a predetermined po1nt,"the feed spring is unlocked andfagain becomes operative to restore such tension When the "construction shown in Figs. 1' and ;7-Tis em loyed the thread on the hot one and one eighth inches, the plunger will have a movement of ap roximatelythree sixteenths (3/16) of an inclh between each}; locking and unlocking ofj-the feed spring. By increasmg the 'possi le one of said parts.

number of locking pins 27 around the shaft, the movement, imparted to the plunger by each push or operation'of thefeed spring, can be decreased. As for example if twelve pins were roperly arranged around the shaft as is y increasing the length of the nut, each movement of the plunger would beap- Y proximately three thirty-seconds (3/32)of an lnch. As the slight variation in the pressure exerted by thh pressure spring on the lubricant is proportionalto the movement of the plunger between each compressive action of the feed spring,-it is evident that by reducing. the amount of each forward movement of the the pressure spring will'be reduced and such pressure. will bepractically' constant. p In the construction shown in Fig. 12, the feed spring operates directly on the nut to rotate t e same and force the shaft 17 inwa In this construction the nut operates to shift and control theshaft.

In the construction shown in Fi s. 1, 5 and 7, the nut operates to control t e inward movement of the shaft, such movement being'effected by the feed spring. Where the nut is rotated to shift the shaft/the threads on the shaft and nut can be of any desired pitch. I

I claim herein as my invention: 1.'In a lubricator, the combination of a cup, a plunger, and resilient means intermittently operative for moving the plunger along the cup and against the lubricant and. means for maintaining such inovementapproximately constant.

2. In a lubricator, the combination of -a cup, 2 plunger, .a spring for shifting said plunger along the cup, and automatic means for maintaining the tension proximately constant. 7 I

3. I11 alubricator. the combination of a cup, a plunger, aspring controlled means for shifting the plunger along :the cup, and a spring for maintaining the tension of the 11; pressure spring constant. Y

4. In a lubricator, the combination of a of said spring apcup, a lunger, means for shifting the plunger, .a t readed shaft for operating the phin ger shifting means, a nut engaging the v, threaded shaft, and meansfor intermittently rotating one of said parts.

5. In a lubricator, the combination-eta cup, a ilungerfmeans for shifting the plunger,- a t readed' shaft for operating the lun- 12 0 ge'r shifting means, a nut engaging said s aft, means for rotating one of said arts, and means'controlled by the plunger or locking the nut and shaft asagainst-relative movemerit. f v, .125

'6. In a lubricator, the; combination of a' cup, a plunger, a threadedsii'aft, a spring in terposed between the shaft a plunger a nut. engaging the shaft, and 'a f.,spring, 9r rotating.

-7. In a'lub1*ieator, the combination of a I ried by the cup,

cup, at plunger, a threaded shaft, a spring in-' terposed between the shaft and plunger, a nut engaging the shaft, a s ring for rotating one offsaid parts and a 100 operated by the plunger for holding the shaft and nut as against relative movement.

S. In a lubricator, the combination of a cup, a plunger, means for shifting the plunger, a threaded shaft for operating the lunger shifting means, a nut engaging said s aft, means for intermittently rotating one of said parts in one direction and means for rotating sai'l part in the opposite directionto retract the plunger.

9. In a lubricator, the combination of a cup, a plunger, a threaded shaft, a spring. interposed between the shaft and plunger, a nut engaging the shaft, a spring for rotating one of said parts, and means forpreventi-ng said part from rotation by said spring.

1.0; In a lubricator, the combination of a cup, a plunger, a threaded shaft, a spring interposed between the shaft and plunger, a nut engaging the shaft, a spring for rotating one of said parts, and a spring catch for preventing the rotation of said part by the spring and ermitting its reverse rotation.

11. In a ubricator, the combination of a cup, a plunger, a threaded shaft, a nut carone of said parts being rotatable with referenceto the other, a spring catch for locking said part as against rotation, and a cam plate for shifting said catch to inoperative position.

12. In a lubricator, the combination of a cup, a plunger, a hollow externally threaded shaft, a spring interposedbetween the shaft and plunger, a nut engaging the shaft, a spring for rotating the shaft, a rodconnected to the plunger and extending through the shaft and a lock for holding the nut and shaft as against relative rotation operated by he rod.

i 13. Ina lubricator, the combination of a cu a plunger, a hollow threaded shaft pro vi ed with a radial slot intersecting the threads, a spring interposed be t ween the shaft.

and (plungeya nut en aging the shaft provide with pins exten ing into the threads in'the latter, a s ring for rotating the nut, a rod extending t rough the shaft and provided with a feather extending out .into' the threads on the shaft and notches spaced correspon dprovided 'with inglyto the threads on the shaft and movable by the plunger.

14. In a lubricat'or, the combination of a cup, a plunger, a hollow shaft provided with a plurality of threads and radially slotted, a

spring interposed between the shaft and plunger, a nut engaging the shaft and provided with a plurality of pins projecting into the threads of the shaft, a spring for rotating the nut, a rod extending through the shaft and. provided witha radial feather" extending into the slot in the shaft,andintersecting the threads and provided with notches spaced to correspond with the pitch of the threads. I

15. In a lubricator, the combination of a cup, a plunger, a threaded shaft, a spring interposed between the shaft and plunger, nut engaging the shaft and rotatably supported on the cup and aspring interposed between the cup and a shoulder on theshaft,

and adapted to move'the latter longitudi-.

nally. r

16. In a lubricator, the combination of a cup, a pLLnger, resilient means arranged within the cup for moving the lunger along the same, and means also within the cup for.

maintaining such movementapproximately constant.

17. In alubricator, the combination'of a 

